Issue 124
January 2015
From regional promotion sideshow to the biggest stage, women’s MMA has broken barriers and established its place in the UFC. Fighters Only asks the stars how they made it.
It can be quite a punch to the gut when the president of the company you dream of working for states on the record that you and those like you will never work for him or be employed under his organization’s banner.
Not so long ago, UFC boss Dana White would not even entertain the idea of women fighting inside the Octagon. When he was asked by TMZ in January 2011, his answer was definitive. “Never,” he said.
But that opinion swiftly changed, largely thanks to the sparkling performances of one Ronda Rousey in the Strikeforce cage. The Olympic judo silver medalist opened the floodgates and now, just a few short years later, White has successfully executed one of the most incredible 180° spins outside of the X Games.
The most powerful man in mixed martial arts said in a recent post-fight scrum he is “blown away” by the ladies. The first batch of UFC competitors have put on some extraordinary fights and Rousey has risen to become arguably the sport’s biggest star. Now an all-female season of The Ultimate Fighter has just concluded with the dual purpose of launching the UFC’s new strawweight class and crowning the promotion’s first 115lb champion.
The world’s premier mixed martial arts promotion has an army of new stars who are breaking boundaries and attracting new fans to the sport, but all of them are missing one ingredient the ‘traditional’ MMA fighter always had: a Y chromosome.
Top performer
Ronda Rousey has not only conquered MMA to become one of the UFC’s biggest assets and best ticket sellers, she has transitioned from the sport to crossover into mainstream popularity. Movie star, magazine cover model, talk show regular – ‘Rowdy’ has become the definition of girl power in 2014 and a role model for women worldwide.
The contender
Veteran finisher Cat Zingano is the number-one contender for Rousey’s position as the first lady of MMA. The 9-0 Colorado mother-of-one has strong opinions on the current state of the female side of the sport, what makes a scrap between two ladies so special and the differences from their male counterparts.
“Girls fight a little bit differently,” she tells Fighters Only. “The reason girl fights get called catfights in the general population is because they are so much more violent and vicious. There’s no holding back.
“It’s not as much of a sport as it’s a fistfight for these girls. The girls representing the UFC now are doing a great job.”
Zingano remembers her past experiences when ladies in MMA were looked down upon by both male fighters and the outside world. The 32-year-old admits, to some extent, she was ashamed of her chosen profession.
“I used to not tell people in public that I was a fighter,” she confides. “I figured I would save myself the conversation of having to defend myself or deal with people who wanted to challenge my perception of MMA. Now, of course, I’m much more proud because I see that people embrace and respect it. That’s really cool and it feels really good to be a part of it all.”
While modern MMA dates back little more than two decades, the female side, certainly in the mainstream, is dramatically younger. For those fighting women who competed before this modern boom; boxing, jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai were the only real avenues for a career in combat sports.
The mainstream acceptance of females in the cage has been so great, we are now witnessing a migration of talent from these other combat sports. TUF 20’s Joanne Calderwood is a world Muay Thai champion, while recent Bellator signing Talita Nogueira is just one of whole generation of BJJ stars – Brazilian or otherwise – gravitating towards MMA.
The veteran
As for the sweet science, one of the biggest stars in women’s boxing has made a wildly successful transition into mixed martial arts with a flawless 7-0 record so far. Holly Holm has one hell of a fighting résumé and the potential to be a huge crossover superstar and household name.
An 18-time world champion in the ring, Holm insists her love for mixed martial arts lured her to the cage, rather than any financial pressures.
“The biggest thing was that when I started fighting I told myself I would never fight for money,” says the 33-year-old. “I would fight for passion first and never fight for money, attention or anything like that.
“Money and fame has never been my goal. I’ve always been true to that because it hasn’t done me wrong at any point so far. I really just started losing my passion for boxing. I didn’t feel like doing it anymore. Even in training for my last big fight in boxing, I was already telling my coach (Mike Winkeljohn) that I was getting a lot more excited about MMA.
“That fight then fell through, so my coach said there was a Bellator fight coming to Albuquerque in February (2013) – and this was in January. I said, ‘Let’s do it!’ I had about four weeks of MMA-type training for the fight. All I did (in 2012) was boxing, so I’ve now jumped full force into MMA.”
Holm is keen to reveal that she’s also much more of a well-rounded martial artist than fans might imagine.
“I am more of a natural kickboxer than a boxer, believe it or not. I have been boxing all these years but I still feel more natural and comfortable there. Actually, my first pro fight was my first boxing fight ever.
“I feel like a lot of people don’t know that my background is kickboxing. There just weren’t a lot of kickboxing promotions and opportunities around, so my coaches came to me and said they could get me fights but it would just be boxing and that it would be pro. My first boxing training camp was for my pro debut.
“At the time, the opportunities just presented themselves in boxing. They kept me busy. I turned pro at 20 and retired at 31. I loved my boxing and the 11 years I did it, but I think it’s just time to do something different now.”
Holm’s foray into mixed martial arts couldn’t have come at a better time. In the three-and-a-half years since she first put on 4oz gloves, women have come out from the shadows to show their skills to millions of people thanks to the platform provided by the UFC. Nowhere has this been more evident than on The Ultimate Fighter. First, Rousey and Miesha Tate became the show’s first female coaches for its mixed-gender 18th season last year. Then episodes with the girls’ fights out-drew the boys in ratings on a week-by-week basis. This year 16 strawweights had the TUF gym – and the spotlight – all to themselves as they went head-to-head to win UFC women’s 115lb belt.
The contestant
One of the hottest prospects to generate a buzz from the TUF 20 cast was Milwaukee up-and-comer Rose Namajunas. Fighters Only spoke to her about the new strawweight class, her role as one of the faces of the 20th season of the hit reality show and the challenges of being in front of a camera 24/7.
“My style is to speak my mind but I also want to make sure I am coming across a certain way, too,” she says. “There are certain things that can be taken out of context and the editing process can be tricky. For example, in the first episode I said I liked to hurt people. I would like to put that into a better context. I’m not trying to tie someone up and stab them. That’s ridiculous.
“I was trying to make a point for the other girls. They were coming off with, ‘We’re just here for the competition’ or ‘I just want to see who the best is.’ For me, personally, you can’t say you don’t get some type of pleasure when your glove touches that other person’s face. You can’t be a prizefighter and not enjoy it.
“The end goal is to finish the fight. A lot of people have this mentality that they are a martial artist and only practice self-defense. That’s cool if you’re not a fighter. If you have that mentality in a fight you’re not going to finish fights. You have to go in there with a killer instinct to hurt the other person.
“If you have the mentality that you’re going in there to do just enough to win then that’s when you have fights that go the distance.”
Though the 22-year-old was known to some fight fans because of her relationship with former UFC heavyweight Pat Barry, that was nothing compared to the level of notoriety she now has thanks to her time on TUF. Asked how the transition from relative unknown to potential role model was going, she says: “It’s tough to be a role model but I am learning how to carry myself better, stay true to myself and speak my mind, but do it in a positive light.”
The novice
Another young rising star in women’s mixed martial arts is 3-1 Kailin Curran. The Reign MMA product didn’t quite make the cut for the TUF 20 cast, but she was still snapped up by the UFC to be thrust straight into the action. Like many talented women, she’s all-in when it comes to her fighting career. There is no plan B.
“Some of the girls who fight have a degree or are going to school or something of that nature, but I don’t,” she says. “This is what I want to do until my body gives up on me. I really don’t have any other option. There is really nothing else for me at the moment. I can last a while in MMA and that’s my focus.”
With Rousey as flag-bearer – posing for magazine covers, strutting down red carpets and following Gina Carano’s footsteps into Hollywood movies – the world of a female fighter has suddenly become chic. Perhaps that’s the biggest reason why the women’s game is so infectious right now.
Proud Hawaiian prospect Curran agrees that the chance to make serious money and become a crossover star appeals to all fighters. Now that there are role models for contenders in the women’s divisions to aspire after, it all seems possible.
“If the industry wants you and you’re up to learning a new trade… If you have the look, you have the skill, then why not? I know I would,” says the 23-year-old.
“I think it’s awesome that Ronda Rousey is doing a bunch of other things now. I remember watching Gina Carano’s first movie that came out. I watched it and thought, ‘Wow!’ To see them break out – it gave me motivation or the thought that I could do that too someday.”
One thing is for sure, mixed martial arts is no longer a private boys’ club. Females in MMA have had to overcome many obstacles, but now the ladies have their time to shine and they are truly dazzling. Should any of us really be surprised? After all, the female of the species is more deadly than the male. Move over, boys, the girls are well and truly here to stay.
Breakout star
Women’s MMA was first thrust into the US mainstream thanks to the star power of Gina Carano in EliteXC. She was catapulted onto the main card of the promotion’s first show in February 2007 and proved to be such a hit that she quickly became one of its biggest stars. Carano appeared twice on network television and more than 4.5 million Americans tuned in to CBS to watch her each time.
Invicta FC: Top promotion
While the cages of Japan have featured female fights for two decades, and the likes of Strikeforce, Bellator and the UFC have opened their doors to the girls, there is only one Western all-female promotion worth singing about: Invicta FC. Run by veteran MMA executive Shannon Knapp, the North Carolina-based outfit produces action-packed cards and has its events shown live on UFC Fight Pass.
